Codename Genesis
by Kate Maxwell
Summary: Part three of the series. With the events of Stillhaven fresh in their minds, our boys are left to recover and think of the tragedies they had witnessed there while the war continues against BioTech.
1. Prologue

**Codename Genesis**

**Prologue**

It had been nearly two weeks since his second born son returned to them, the loss of the eldest son was felt amongst the family once more. They had felt the emotions of loss after the escape from the Newbay disaster cost them the lives of Scott and John Tracy, along with the destruction of Thunderbird One.

But now with the destruction of Stillhaven, they were reunited briefly to try and bring down the biological monsters that roamed the streets of the once beautiful city. Amongst that chaotic time, Thunderbird Two received damage that had almost crippled the rescue craft but they were able to fix her up in time for them to escape the living nightmare.

Arriving back at Tracy Island, The Tracy family and close friends that shared the island with them; worked together to get the machines back to working order while giving the family time to recover from the horrors they had seen and witnessed in the city.

Once more Jeff Tracy forced his sons to talk to him about anything and everything they had seen, he was once more filled with dread and anger over how a pharmaceutical company such as BioTech could get away with this destruction.

_

* * *

_

It has been just over a fortnight since the destruction of Stillhaven, Maine. Once more BioTech is sending out its deepest regrets for the loss of the hundreds of lives within the city.

Reports indicated that the nuclear reactor's coolant systems went off line causing the meltdown of the power station, destroying the city in it's wake.

_But once more reports are coming in from Tracy Industries informing us that it is yet another alleged biological breakout, the nuclear meltdown being another cover up from the pharmaceutical company, to cover up their mess. _

_We will bring you more news as this clash of these two businesses continues..._

* * *

Tracy Island seemed so peaceful, looking at it from a distance you could see how the tropical foliage swayed in the light tropical breeze and as you looked closer, you could make out the main complex where the Tracy Family lived.

Deep underground hid the hangers for the rescue machines known better as the Thunderbirds, but all was not well in this tranquil place.

Hiding in different corners of the large, expensive complex the family had split up and gone off to do their own thing.

In the pool, the fourth born son was doing laps, trying to clear his head with Fermat studying close by while Alan and Tin-Tin had gone off for a walk into the jungle ignoring the taunts of Gordon, before the young man returned to his swimming.

Inside the father of the family, Jeff Tracy paced in his office, thinking over what had happened a few days ago, going over all of the destruction and biological weapons that the pharmaceutical company BioTech had caused. He then thought about the talk he had had with his second-born son, the words burning into heart and soul.

_John Tracy is dead_

Growling a little, he punched the wall and left the office needing to work out the frustration that had built up inside of him.

* * *

Under the main complex, where the Thunderbird machines were kept in their separate hangers. Music blared out from a small stereo system that had seen better days, it was covered in dust, paint and oil yet it still worked to supply music for whoever was working on one of the machines.

Banging and metal cutting, and welding could be heard over the music as the middle born son worked hard on the green ship known better as Thunderbird Two, she had suffered damage including a hole in the top of the pod bay areas. There was severe damage to the hydraulics systems for the legs of the bay doors and the main flight systems, he had fired her up in safety systems to check the guidance processor but it still showed error.

Virgil had just switched programs for the stereo before returning to his welding, sat on the bars safely before reaching up to start the long process of fixing the damage left by the monster known as the gravedigger – a giant worm that had chewed its way through to try and attack them.

Scaffolding covered most of the green transporter, slates of metal covered the hole at the top while different tubes and cards was coming out of the hull. But slowly this was removed to make room for new pieces of metal being wielded securely into place, making sure that the damaged metal from the monster and acid attacks was replaced.

As the young man worked, wearing his overalls and listening to the music hearing that it was one of his own but it had gone through the mixer to give it extra base and volume. High above him a bar of the scaffolding came loose and started to fall but was caught and put aside, "Nice piece of music Virgil, though do wish you wore a hard hat" The rescuer said making the young man jump, who quickly turned the wielder off and removed his goggles.

"John, I didn't hear you" Virgil replied sounding shocked to seeing his older brother, "I heard what you told Dad... I guess its true... that you have changed" He added with a small sigh.

John nodded running a hand through his hair, some of the blonde showing through his died brown hair, "I know but looking at my old room and being here trying to get back to what we called normal... it isn't going to work" He said before looking up at the silver metal.

"Thought you would have left by now" Virgil said with a shrug, looking at how much work he had left to do.

"I can't leave yet, I don't have any idea where to start or where to go... I guess I can return to the cabin we had fixed up and hid out when we couldn't decide where to travel to, but it's just hard to face it with the thought of Scott being tortured or worse" John replied with a sigh,

"Then stay until you have some idea, do you want to help? She's going to take a few more days at least... could be a month maybe but depends on how quickly we get the parts" Virgil said with a soft smile and started to climb down the ladder to get to the ground, John following him.

"I was just thinking of walking around the island but don't want that incident to happen again, so when I saw Alan and Tin-Tin leaving and Gordon lost in his laps then I came here" John replied with a soft sigh. "I did try to get some sleep but I just can't seem to settle at the moment" He added as they got to the ground.

"You were up again last night weren't you?" Virgil asked as he started cleaning up looking away from the work left over, the pipes scattered in and around the craft, he sighed and turned to look at his brother seeing how the pale scars on his neck were barely visible on his skin while his brown hair looked strange with the blonde pushing it out.

What startled Virgil more was that John's eyes once held a sparkle of energy and happiness each time he was around his family but now there were dark patches under dull blue eyes. He remembered when John had joined them for a late supper, seeing that John's eyes were green before he explained about the contact lenses that they wore when they were in hiding.

"I was, couldn't stop thinking about that there is something wrong... I keep replaying the events of Redwood Falls and Stillhaven in my mind and nothing comes up, then I come down here to check on Thunderbird Two and I don't see anything different about her" John replied as he stretched and headed over to the service elevator.

"Where are you going now?" Virgil asked as he wiped his hands on a cloth and threw it into his tool kit, "If you want a drink then I can give you some company" He added joining his brother.

John turned a little and smiled, Virgil noticed again how this failed to get to his eyes leaving them cold and empty. "Sure, think Onaha just finished making some lemonade.. let's get there first" He said softly and led the way to the service elevator, leaving Virgil to catch him up.

* * *

The young man groaned as he slowly woke up, feeling his head pounding him echoing painfully in his ears before slowly opening his eyes to find a bright white unfamiliar ceiling. His body woke up slowly and his muscles screamed, feeling that they were on fire.

He bit back the screams that he could feel burning inside of him before opening his eyes once more, he had snapped them shut when he felt the pain get too much, before looking around the room wondering where he was but all he could see was white.

His right arm was covered in small round scars from his wrist up to his elbow while his left was covered in white gauze, with a red tube going out of the back of his hand.

He fought to remember all that he could remember was collapsing into darkness then the bright white fog like area, where he had talked to John before being dragged back into this world of pain and unknown smells.

A solitary tear rolled down his eye realising that he had been captured by BioTech, only time and patience would let him help escape from the lions den, wherever the lion's den is. _'I'm sorry John, finally found the headquarters but as a prisoner... one thing we did not want... I might not even be human any longer after this_ He thought to himself before turning a little to return to his troubled sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

**Codename Genesis**

**Chapter One**

The sun rose over the horizon, shinning its light as it moved along its slow path across the blue sky. Burning the clouds that had formed overnight, lighting up the tropical jungle. The plants, trees and the wildlife sung or turned their leaves to lap up the morning light while on the other side of the island, shadows were chased away from the housing complex that covered a part of the island.

Inside, two people walked around quietly as they worked on the morning chores before the tropical temperatures became too high while they worked on breakfast for their close friends. They fell into a silent and easy practice, that had always been a part of them before they moved to Tracy Island with their daughter.

Amongst the jungle, on one of the many paths feeding through the island, running past hidden caves or past waterfalls, ran a lone young man as he set a easy jogging pace along the outer paths of the island trying to wake himself up from another troubled dream.

"Morning Virgil, morning Gordon" Jeff muttered to two of his sons on his way past to get some coffee from the kitchen.

"Morning Dad" They muttered, each waking up in their own way. It had been a long few days, most of it fetching parts for rebuilding Thunderbird Two from various drop off points or just assembled the main frame of the hull ready for the new parts to be added.

"Anyone seen Alan or John?" Jeff asked as he settled down at the table, retrieving the paper and unfolded it.

"Alan was in the shower when I passed, and not sure of John... might be out jogging" Virgil replied as he fetched his part of the paper, opening it up and started to read through anything that caught his eye.

"Do you think he slept last night?" Gordon asked stirring more sweeter into his coffee, looking into the dark depths.

"I'm not sure Gordon, it seems that he hardly sleeps any more yet it looks like he doesn't tire" Jeff replied with a soft sigh, sorting through the papers until he found the part he wanted.

* * *

John breathed heavily as he completed his third lap around the island, feeling his vest sticking to his back from his jogging around the island.

He sighed as he stopped, resting his hands on his knees closing his eyes as memories flashed behind the closed lids.

"W-why" John croaked and looked around to find his way back to the complex, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to fight an oncoming headache.

He had only about two hours of sleep that night, having tried to wear himself out by helping Virgil down in the hanger most of the day then in the games room with Gordon and Alan. He had gone down to the gym and found Jeff there, surprising him by joining in with the workout but he still couldn't settle down in his old bed.

John had stared up at the ceiling he had grown up to seeing, the star graphs covering the space above his bed while all around him screamed his old life. The life he had shed tears for many times since the incident at Newbay, he wished to return to this life but now that he had but without Scott... it felt hollow, incomplete.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he walked back towards the complex wondering how his family would be around him today... it had hurt them all to say how the John they knew and loved had died at Newbay. But in a way he was still him, just changed from the experiences he had had or the things that he had seen with Scott, what they had learnt of the pharmaceutical company BioTech.

_Maybe I'll get back in time for a late breakfast _John thought to himself with a small laugh, wondering when he had lost his sanity, but then thought of what he had been through. What he had seen along with Scott, was enough to cause anyone to loose their sanity or worse.

* * *

Jeff sighed as he settled down in his office for another long day of going through the thousand emails on his computer, or the designs and reports that were sent by the post jet every morning.

He thought about the reports that he had his sons do, going over what they had learned or saw when they were in Redwood Falls but now with John back... _Is John really back? _He thought to himself, stopping his thoughts and leaned back in the chair looking at the portraits on the wall then the family photos on the desk.

"Dad?" A voice spoke breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Hm" Jeff replied and looked over at finding his youngest son. "Yes Alan?" He asked turning to go back to his work.

"Do you think that we'll see Scott again?" Alan asked as he sat down on the couch near his father's desk.

Jeff sighed and let the pencil drop back on to his desk, "I'm sure we will Alan, I know that John won't rest until he's found some clue to finding Scott... you saw how they were together at Redwood Falls" He replied rising up from his chair and walked over to sit next to his son.

"I know Dad but I'm afraid that John isn't our brother... it's like what he said, that he died at Newbay" Alan muttered looking down at his feet, taping the heels of his trainers together. "He has changed, I know that since starting school and the rescue organisation that I haven't seen much of John but we were always emailing each other" He added and sighed.

"I have my doubts son but I believe that John is still there, just people change after traumatic experiences such as ones that he has been through... just think about it Alan, all that has happened to him" Jeff replied putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

"From when Thunderbird Five was attacked, giving him nightmares for weeks then that rescue that changed all of us... then the untold stories that he is hiding except in his nightmares that now wakes him at night" He continued, remembering hearing John cry out one afternoon while the others were down at the beach, catching his second born son having a afternoon nap but soon disturbed by a nightmare.

Alan nodded, "He's trying Dad, so I guess I should just really get him to talk to me too... like we use to" He replied and smiled. "Thanks Dad, I should let you get back to work... Gordon's thinking about going scuba-diving today"

"Take care out there, I got plenty to do here today as you can see" Jeff said with a smile rising up off the couch looking at his desk with a soft groan, "No matter how tempting it is to join you boys" He added.

Alan grinned as he got up from the couch, "Well Dad, I'll see you later" He replied and practically ran out of the office.

* * *

Virgil groaned as he stretched, looking up at seeing the focused concentration on John's face. "Johnny! How about we take five? We've been at this since breakfast" He called getting his brother's attention, cleaning up and shutting off his own tools.

John shut his off and looked down at Virgil, "Sure Virg, at least we're half way there to repairing the hull... just the hydraulics and a few other things inside right?" He asked, moving his tools away before jumping down to Virgil's side.

Virgil retrieved a bottle of water and held it out for John to take, "That's right, I've taken most of the patch jobs that I did apart without risking futhur damage to her but it is going to take another week or so to get her back to flying standard" He replied getting his own bottle and took a long drink from it.

John nodded looking at Thunderbird Two, seeing the mess of cables, scrap metal, panels that were only temporarily fixed ready to be welded on. "Well together we'll get there Virgil, have you gone over every inch of her since coming back here?" He asked before taking a sip of water from his own bottle.

"Of course, both Brains and myself did... what is it?" Virgil asked, seeing that there was something bothering his brother. Even though John had changed since they rescued him from Redwood Falls, of course he would have changed after all that Virgil had seen, but he was still his brother.

John shrugged and did his bottle up, breaking the staring match between him and something near the big Thunderbird.

"It's probably nothing, just thought..." He muttered,using the scaffolding to swing down to the ground floor and started to pace around the green plane.

Virgil watched him from his seat on the scaffolding, a little surprised about how good his brother's gymnastic skills had became. He remembered before their mother died that John would be a part of the school's gymnastic team but gave it up shortly after their mother's death, Virgil guessed that John didn't have the time any longer not with helping raise his brothers.

Sighing softly, he watched John continue to walk around Thunderbird Two and wondered what his brother was thinking as he continued to walk around occasionally touching parts of the ship before eventually climbing back up to sit beside him.

"Better?" Virgil asked after a while.

John shrugged, "Might be a bit tired, something that happened to us once with our Jeep... I miss that car" He said with a small sad smile before laughing a little and started the tale that came with the memories that caused him to laugh.

Virgil smiled when he heard John laugh, a proper normal laugh and listened to his brother's tale. He knew that as long as John could talk to him then things would be fine, eventually.


	3. Chapter 2

**Codename Genesis  
**

**Chapter Two**

_The leaves rustled around them as they looked out from behind the door, they could hear something moving around out in the large room while hearing a few of the lone survivors breathing quietly behind them. _

"_What do you think?" Scott spoke softly from above him. _

"_It's just like Newbay, but last time we weren't surrounded like this..." He replied just as softly, feeling that they were being watched by the survivors. _

_Scott sighed softly, "OK, so we need to clear a path to get to that door over there right?" He asked looking down at his younger brother. _

"_That's right... it took.. took Gordon and myself to clear the way last time but think this time I can do something about it quicker" John replied, choking a little at talking about their family. _

_Scott rested a hand on John's shoulder before walking over to their packs, "Wondered why you always carried lighter fluid" He said with a soft smile before a crash came from above them. _

"_Damn it! Get down!" John yelled jumping up onto his feet and froze seeing the big thick vine, reminding him of a fuel line had bashed through the window, covering the survivors in glass. _

_The vine swung around the room, small hisses came from around them making the two young men tear their shirts off as they started to burn. Screams came from the survivors as the acid burnt through their clothes or into the open wounds. _

"_Get down!" Scott yelled and got hit by the vine, groaning as he sunk into unconsciousness. _

"_Scott!" John said and was torn between helping his brother or the survivors, that decision was made for him as pods fell from the large vine landing in front of him. They started to grow instantly, small whip like vines appeared as they grew, cutting him off from the survivors. _

_They lashed out, hitting everything and anything that got in their reach. John froze as the vines cut through the survivors as the acid continued to eat through the furniture, by the time he had brought his shotgun up to get rid of the Ivy monsters, the survivors were dead. _

_They turned to face him, ready to throw their own acid and hit them with the vines. _

"_S-Scott, wake up! I need your help! Wake up!" John called, glancing back at his brother bringing the shotgun up and fired at the Ivy monsters. _

"Scott!" John yelled as he woke up, sitting upright in his bed and looked around taking in the gloomy sight around him as he forced himself to calm down.

He took slow deep breaths to calm himself down, feeling the handle of his dagger in his hand realizing that he had pulled it out from his place under the pillow.

Since coming back from Tracy Island, John hadn't been able to sleep without his rucksack but now he was getting a few more undisturbed hours. He was thankful that none of his brothers hardly came into his room, but he still hid his rucksack, Scott use to laugh at him whenever he hid a dagger under his pillow.

_But that changed..._ John thought to himself as he returned it back to it's sheath then back to under the pillow.

He got up and stretched looking around, mainly out of the large balcony windows seeing that the moon was setting telling him that it could be a few hours before sunrise. Feeling his foot catch on something, he acted on instinct by pulling away and rolled around pulling himself as small as he could.

John groaned and sat down hard on his bottom seeing that it was the strap to the rucksack that had got caught around his ankle. He bent around to free his ankle and then checked on the contents of his rucksack, seeing parts of his different guns with boxes of ammunition and buried into a secret compartment was his chocolate.

Sighing heavily, he did his bag back up and stuffed it back under his bed and made sure that the straps were safely tucked under before making his bed.

* * *

Virgil listened carefully as he slowly opened his door, listening for his older brother knowing that there could be a chance that he would be awake.

Ever since they returned to Newbay, Virgil watched as John went from being the quiet yet interactive member of their family when he was on the island and not in Thunderbird Five to this stranger that kept himself closed off from the others.

He was worried for John even if his brother didn't want anyone to be worried for him, he could hear when John had a nightmare which would stop him sleeping for the rest of the night.

_Just wish he would talk to one of us, he's still our brother even if he has changed... but we've all changed in a way _Virgil thought to himself seeing John creep out of the bedroom and go down the ramp towards the rest of the complex.

Virgil followed, seeing Gordon poke out from behind his own bedroom. He raised a eyebrow at wondering what Virgil was doing, who shrugged and nodded towards the ramp. Gordon nodded and disappeared back into his room, Virgil thought about following John downstairs but sighed softly before walking back into his own room.

* * *

"John?" A familiar voice asked softly, making the blonde Tracy spin on his heels and duck down in case of a attack and sighed in seeing his youngest brother.

"Sorry Alan, just caught me off guard... what's the matter?" John asked, getting one of the warm clothes out of the sink and squeezed the extra water out of it before putting it on his arm near his shoulder.

"It's OK John, just wanted to see if you were OK..." Alan said softly, watching him as he moved to sit on the barstool that John must have moved from the breakfast bar.

"I've been better Alan, just a rough night... couldn't get comfortable" John replied with a soft sigh, opening up a bottle of beer being careful not to move the cloth around too much.

Alan sighed softly, "You haven't changed too much John, you're still our brother" He said softly watching his brother take a drink from the bottle. "I know what you said to Dad but I don't think like that..."

John looked over at his youngest brother, "You've only seen one city Alan... you saw how Scott became, how I almost turned into something like him but I believe that Scott couldn't help himself" He replied with a soft sigh, closing his eyes and leaned back against the counter.

"When we found out that the virus that was being held at Newbay was in its experimental stages then we fear the worse... guess it came to being true, how much I have changed since then and how much Scott changed" John continued and stopped to take another drink from the beer.

"But you're home now, back on the island... I know Scott is still out there and I know that Dad is doing his best to try and find him, and to put a stop to BioTech" Alan replied.

John shook his head, "Need to find the main headquarters of that company, it would be hidden deep underground and in the middle of nowhere... just in case a breakout happens and draws attention to them" He muttered.

"You think so son? Then there are few places where they could do that" Jeff spoke up, "I can get some people to search around, I still have a few pulls that I can use" He said with a soft smile.

"Thanks Dad, I would like that... I know a few people, survivors that are helping us with this battle" John replied, finishing his drink. "I know that they would help us search for the laboratories"

* * *

"OK I think we're almost ready for her test flight" Virgil said wiping his hands in a cloth standing back away from their hard work, they had been spending most of the day taking apart the scaffolding that had covered Thunderbird Two.

Now she stood ready to be painted and her first test flight would be decided once the last few finishing touches had been completed, Virgil and Brains were impressed by the amount of detail that had been put into the transporter.

"That's great Virgil, we'll get her set up and tested for first thing tomorrow" Jeff called down from the observation deck, he had been joined by Gordon and Alan from where they had been working on maintenance for Thunderbird Three.

"OK Dad, I'll pack up and get cleaned up... where's John?" Virgil asked as he tucked the cloth into his pocket, he had really pushed himself in the last few weeks and was thankful that John had been there just as long as he had.

Jeff sighed and shrugged, "I don't know son, Onaha has seen him before we came for breakfast but hasn't appeared for lunch" He replied watching Gordon and Alan talk amongst themselves. "Something on your mind boys?"

"Just that, we have seen John but thought better give him his space... we were jogging around the island after breakfast this morning and he was in one of the clearings" Gordon replied with Alan nodding next to him.

"He looked distracted so we just left him to his exercises, it reminds me of what Tin-Tin does with her family first thing in the morning" Alan added.

"I can try and talk to him later Dad" Virgil replied, "But first just really need a shower" He added with a grin, earning a tired smile from Jeff.

"OK Virgil, I'll leave you to it" Jeff said with a tired smile and left the observation deck.

* * *

John snuck out of his room, itching the back of his neck feeling the skin change between his normal pale skin and the dark scars that ran down the back of his neck and down his spine.

He could hear his brothers asleep around him, and his father was awake if the light appearing from under the door was to tell the blonde Tracy anything.

Inwardly sighing, he crept along the wall leaving the bedroom wing and entered the main complex by walking down the ramp. His beaten up boots not making any noise on the soft carpet which soon changed to the linoleum that ran through the rest of the house asides the main stairs leading to futhur parts of the complex.

John didn't know what to think as he crept through the place he once called home, and wished time and time again that Scott was here with him instead of being carted away by BioTech's headquarters or one of the many secret laboratories scattered across the planet.

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to relax but felt a sense of foreboding that he had had ever since this morning even when Gordon and Alan had disturbed his morning ritual that Kyrano taught him a long time ago.

He smiled a little on how Scott originally thought it was a foolish idea but soon was getting taught by his brother, finding that it woke up not just the body but the mind as well. Tai Chi was the correct name for the techniques but over the months they had been separated away from their family and home, it changed around to suit them, to what they had needed.

He continued his slow pace until he got to the underground hangers, he started off in Thunderbird One's hanger taking in the sight of the flagship of the International Rescue fleet.

_You're missing Scott, you haven't got the same shine as you use to _John thought to himself moving over the gantry to touch the sealed cockpit, looking up at the red nose cone of the ship.

_We owe you a lot more than what we can ever repay_ He added and smiled when he thought how she could react in by asking for the return of her pilot. "I'll try my best, I promise"

* * *

The moon moved through the starry sky, casting its pure light through the cloudless night. Its beams shone light through the uncovered balcony doors of the bedrooms of the Tracy Villa, where some lay awake listening for signs of anyone that might still be awake.

Others had closed their curtains wanting to try and sleep as much as they could before the sun rose, to start a new day of the life that felt slightly strained to lead. A few tears were shed into the pillow before forcing themselves to sleep.

Unaware to them, something was brewing deep inside the island as they continued to sleep or think through their troubled thoughts.

What was brewing, no one knew but only time could tell.


	4. Chapter 3

**Codename Genesis**

**Chapter Three**

The night time wind rustled the foliage of the jungle, creatures of the night screaming out into the darkness claiming their territory against all comers. The full moon fought to shine through the thick tree canopy.

It was just another peaceful night in the cool and moist tropical night as a tarnished silver blade cut through the thick vines that grew between the trees to either side of the overgrown path.

"How much further?" The man whispered as they kept their movement quiet, their footsteps muffled by the dirt path nearly turned into a sticky sort of mud by the moisture in the air.

"Another fifteen miles at least, just why would they base a laboratory in the middle of the Amazon forest?" His partner asked, checking his PDA.

The first guy sighed and continued to walk along the path, cutting through the vines when necessary and forcing tree branches back and out of their way. He pushed down the waves of nausea that threatened his breakfast's return, the jungle around him reminded them both of the tropical paradise they once called home.

"We're just on a recon this time, then we'll come back tomorrow for the information..." His partner spoke up, breaking him out of his depressing thoughts.

"Right! Should be just behind this... or maybe not" He spoke up and stopped, he was unable to take in what they saw in front of them.

The bright white walls of the hidden bunker shone brightly in the cleared glen, from the air it was hidden by a natural rooftop. It looked like something from a James Bond film but a secret base gone horribly wrong!

Thick tree like vines had burst out from the bright walls and wrapped around the bunker, it had sent out feeders to search for new food for its growth. Big green pods hung from some of the thinner vines while the thick vines had purple pods bulging out, making the vines look thicker.

"Well damn!" The muttered and looked at each other.

"Ivies... but they're different, looking at those purple pods" The first guy muttered softly as they put their bags down and looked through their gear.

"Well at least we know how to handle them John, things will be OK this time" His companion replied with a soft smile.

"You may be right Scott... maybe" John replied as he set up the flame thrower, glancing up at the vines as they continued to work.

* * *

  
The young man sighed softly listening to the peaceful, tranquil sounds of the tropical paradise that was better known as Tracy Island. He ignored the pang of discomfort from his legs and back as he moved to get comfortable in his seated position on the balcony.

He opened his tired eyes in hearing the laughter coming from down below him, looking down he smiled before shaking his head and closed his eyes.

"You should join them son, it will do all some good if you did" A low gruff voice spoke up from behind him.

"I know it is Dad but I just can't... I have tried but I've changed so much and so has Scott" John replied softly, hugging his legs up close to his chest. "We missed you all so much but without Scott then it doesn't feel the same... I need to find him but I don't know where to start looking" He continued softly, turning his head away from his father.

"I've got our best agents out there looking John, we will find him but just for now will you please go and join your brothers at the pool?" Jeff asked as he leaned in the doorway of the balcony.

John shrugged his shoulders, tugging his sleeves down back to his wrists. He was wearing a light brown long-sleeved shirt, he had been wearing those type of shirts since he caught his family staring at his scared skin.

His hair was starting to grow out a little more and was thinking of dying it back to the dark brown that he had dyed it to for hiding away along with Scott.

Jeff sighed, "How about a pizza? Can have whatever you want on it" He offered with a soft smile as John turned to face him, a small glimmer of how his son was before the life changing events of the Newbay disaster.

"Sure, would like that" John replied with a soft smile and slowly got up onto his feet, and stretched with a soft sigh.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Jeff asked as he watched John stretch out the cramps from his long legs.

"About two hours... but I'm fine" John replied with a smile, "So pizza?" He asked, waving a hand at his father for him to lead on.

Jeff smiled and turned to lead the way from the bedroom to the kitchen, all the while wondering what could be happening to the missing oldest son of the Tracy clan.

"We'll find him Dad, we have to!" John muttered in a soft dark tone that made Jeff shiver coldly.

* * *

Virgil pulled himself out of the pool and reached for the towel waiting on the nearby sun lounger. He sighed as he dried off and looked up at the nearby balconies but found them empty.

"I saw them in the kitchen a little while a go" Alan said from where he had settled down on the sun lounger close by for the afternoon.

"Oh, do you think he got through to John?" Virgil asked as he sat down to continue to dry off.

Alan sighed and opened his eyes looking up at the underside of the parasol. "I don't know Virgil... we saw something for a few hours that he had been hunting down for nearly a year!" He replied tucking his hands behind his head. "How can we help him handle the weight of that or understand what they both been through"

"Or are going through... does John seem a bit more distant to you, more than usual?" Gordon asked as he tread water and swam over to the ledge before leaning on it, his head resting on his crossed arms.

Alan and Virgil looked over to the main complex, sounds of cooking taking part inside sounded faint to them on the sun deck. "I guess he has but I've never noticed" Alan muttered softly.

"I have... his work has slipped a little but still he does try hard to keep up with me" Virgil replied, "Should almost finished the painting program by now" He added with a soft sigh.

Gordon sighed and dunked down under the water before climbing out, water dripping off him. "Think I'll go for a shower then talk to him... be good to try and get him to talk to us" He said as he reached for his own towel.

Alan sighed and closed his eyes, he thought about what they experienced and saw in Stillhaven. "Do you think that we've seen the last of BioTech? Of all those... those monsters" He asked and sat up with a groan, looking at the pool as it glistened in the tropical sunlight.

"BioTech are putting up a strong fight even with other companies seeing the light, and their stock is starting to fail... but that might make them more desperate" Jeff spoke up from the doorway, wiping his face with a hand towel, his clothes covered in flour.

The boys managed a small amused smile each but the mood still remained sombre, "Seen it before haven't you Dad?" Virgil asked as he stood up, dropping the towel around the back of his neck and shoulders.

Jeff nodded with a tired sigh, "I have but you'll have to excuse me as I desperately need a shower" He said with a smile and disappeared back inside.

"Well that was something different" Gordon muttered before following his father inside, heading for his own bathroom for a shower.

Virgil smiled and stretched, "Well I better get changed then head back to the hanger" He said and left Alan alone on the sun deck.

* * *

  
"Hey, what happened to Dad earlier?" Gordon asked once he found John in the library with a freshly baked pizza and a cup of coffee on the table.

"He dropped a bag of flour, it exploded... I escaped because of the oven door" John replied with a bored tone as he flicked through the book in front of him.

Gordon peered over his shoulder seeing the familiar calculations and diagrams of Thunderbird Three, he looked at the pizza and saw an unusual mixture of toppings. None of them were John's usual taste, he saw pineapple, mushroom, ground beef and four different cheeses.

"What is it? John asked as he helped himself to a slice, offering the plate to Gordon who declined but took a seat next to his brother.

He sighed softly and studied his brother's face carefully as his mind formed the words. He sat down and looked at the work while trying to word what he needed to say.

"Just that you've changed a lot John, and I don't mean what we see now or what we have seen..." Gordon said softly and slowly, "You've changed ever since that incident with the Hood"

"Had to... when we were sent to that rescue... it changed me anyway, was no longer human after that... S-Scott saw that first hand" John replied, putting the pizza rind down on the plate.

"I can hear longer distances and have a quicker reaction time... especially when it comes to dodging attacks" He continued softly, "I... we had to learn fast how to keep up with these changes, and to fighting against the monsters that we saw..." He continued softly, resting his head in his hands.

"John, I..." Gordon started and moved to rest a hand on his brother's shoulder, but froze as if unsure if it was the right move to do that.

John shook his head, "Just a headache Gord, it'll pass... want a game of tennis? I'm fed up of being cooped up inside" He said looking up with a smile, forcing his dark history behind him for now. "It's no use to waiting around for a email from someone out there with a lead... rather keep busy but as Virgil's kicked me out of the hanger" He added with a shrug.

Gordon smiled and nodded, "I'll promise not to beat you too badly" He said, his heart ached in seeing the torment in John's blue eyes as his brother stood up and stretched.

"Are you sure it won't be the other way around? Come on, been a while since we had a match with just the two of us" John replied and led the way, the pizza and books left forgotten as they left to get changed before heading down to the tennis courts.

John wanted to try and fit back into the family, like he promised Scott but he wanted his brother here with him but he knew that the dark haired Tracy wouldn't want him to ignore their younger brothers while on the island. So he had to humour them, at least for now, until he got a solid lead for the hunt of their missing brother.

* * *

  
A few days had passed since Gordon's encounter with John in the library, and since then their brother had helped everyone out instead of shutting himself off in either the library, his room or somewhere out in the jungle.

He had beaten Gordon against any challenge, and dodged his best jokes to amazement of the residential joker. When he had asked for a explanation, John had just shrugged and said that they were too easy to spot especially the trigger jokes.

This had earned a laugh from the others, including their father. A smile was also placed on John's face, looking so much like the smile that use to grace their brother's face before the attack on the space station.

Virgil had announced that repairs were almost finished on Thunderbird Two, with just preflight checks being carried out before asking permission for a flight test to make sure she was ready for their next rescue mission.

They were to be carried out later that afternoon, Jeff was disheartened to hear that Thunderbird One failed to activate and was concerned to what was causing the problem with the sleek jet.

"She misses him Dad, its that plainly obvious" John said softly stepping out of the shadows in Thunderbird One's hanger making the father jump.

Jeff quickly gained his breath back, resting a hand on his heart until he calmed himself down. "I know son, but that's just something that isn't computing with the errors that Brains is receiving or at least that is his words" He said, leaning against the rail looking up at the rocket.

John shook his head as he joined Jeff at the rail, reaching out to touch the jet that had saved their lives in the escape from Newbay. "I know Dad but she was pretty much nearly destroyed when we crashed... the ship just misses Scott too badly" He said softly. "Which I do too... I can feel her pain, he was there for me and I for him but now that we've been separated I fear to what they're doing to him"

"John" Jeff said softly and moved to put a hand on his son's shoulder.

John bowed his head looking down at the depths of the hanger, his shoulders dropping down and loosing the high defence he had been wearing around his family. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up without him Dad"

"We understood each other more than ever, even growing up at the ranch... and you know how close we were then, but what happened at Newbay then at all those other towns we failed to save... the thousands of people we failed to save... " He continued softly, looking at his father from the corner of his vision. "We failed you, each time we lost a life... we felt that we were failing you"

"Now that I've lost Scott... I feel that I've failed him... we..." He stopped and took a shuddering breath in. "We made a promise to each other when we realised how high we were infected... how deadly our blood is.... but I've failed him"

"John, you haven't failed him or me... you have been brave to do what you have done, and helped me to fight those... those monsters that done that to those people in the first place" Jeff said, putting his hand down on his son's shoulder shocked to feel it tremble.

"I'm proud of you and of Scott, and I'm sure that Scott would feel the same way... he would have want us to continue to do the good work and find a way to continue the fight" He said before bending his head to get a good look at his son, "Come on, I think you need to get to bed... when was the last time you actually slept the night through?"

John shook his head, "More than six hours? Too long... but then I am now use to less sleep, have been for a long time... " He said softly, "But it does take a toll... just haven't been able to sleep comfortably since being back here..."

Jeff sighed, "Come on, let's get you to bed" He said with a smile of his own.

John smiled and nodded, before putting his hand to his forehead.

Jeff frowned, "Something wrong son?" He asked, squeezing John's shoulder.

"J-just a headache... they'll pass like always" John muttered, grasping the bars of the walkway tightly in his hand.

"How long have they been happening John?" Jeff asked, concerned for his son.

"Only the last few days, they were uncomfortable at first but been getting stronger... just put it down to being tired" John replied before sighing tiredly. "Think will head off to bed, even though it is still pretty early..."

"OK John, go and get some sleep... I'll tell the others that you're getting some rest" Jeff said, earning a tired smile from his eldest blonde son before he left the hanger.

Jeff sighed and looked up at the sleek jet, he wondered how much longer John could be staying with them. Every day he saw his son getting more and more distant to the family, even though he was trying his best to get back to being with them but as long as BioTech still existed then John's pains would never go away.

"We'll find Scott soon girl, then we'll be back to being a happy family..." Jeff muttered to the silver Thunderbird craft before leaving the hanger, wondering what to tell Brains about the failed reports.

Thunderbird One just sat silently in its hanger, hoping that the people that had rebuilt her from almost scrap was right, and that her pilot would soon return and fly the skies with her once more.


	5. Chapter 4

**Codename Genesis  
Chapter Four**

It was dark and it was cold, there was a metallic tang in the air as he woke up. He wished that he wouldn't as his body woke up, then his mind began to register the blistering pangs of red hot pain that seared throughout his entire body.

He tried his best to push it away to try and hear his surroundings that continued to being a mystery to him, the only time he could escape was in his dreams or the blackness caused by whatever drugs they were trying out and experimenting on him.

"Ah awake I see! Well no matter, you will soon return to wherever it is you go... let's start the next test and this time it better work!" The man said in a soft and teasing voice, which quickly changed into harsh and snappy.

He could barely hear this man talk and before he attempted to fight back against the people that were holding him here, he was back under a new drug's influence.

He wanted nothing more in wanting to escape, heal and cause hell for these men and their company before being reunited with his family.

And reunited with them will happen soon, he promised himself.

* * *

It was just so hot, the air conditioning helped a little and the cold showers were great but he knew he couldn't stay in there because of several reasons which he couldn't quite remember at that present time.

So it was the air conditioning on at full in his room, and when daring to leave, it was with a sleeveless t-shirt on ignoring the looks from his family as he helped himself to Onaha's fresh lemonade.

Now John was led out on the sun deck staring up at the stars letting his mind wander, just trying to figure out why his body was acting like this with his temperature so high.

_Maybe it's the__ humidity... _He thought to himself and scratched at an itch across a small scar on the back of his hand.

Listening carefully John could hear the sounds of the jungle night life while inside Onaha was working hard on making something for his family on their return from a rescue.

It had been a month since Thunderbird Two was repaired and cleared for flight, it went through a few minor system updates and the hull's intensity was increased to allow the transport ship to receive more damage when out on daring rescues carried out by the organisation International Rescue.

He wasn't fit for any rescue missions after his temperature started spiking like it had for the last few days, Brains suggested about testing his blood but John refused with none of the concerned scientist or his father's questions answered.

Sighing deeply, John closed his eyes from the diamond filled sky before stretching with a groan getting comfortable on the lounger.

Asides from just being too hot and the occasional headache he was fine, he was drinking and eating fine. Well OK maybe he was staying away from some of the more spicy meals that were made, and was having more ice in his drinks than normal but that was about it.

Sighing again, he reopened his eyes and dismissed his thoughts about the humidity before getting up from the lounger wondering what to do, feeling that a walk somewhere would do him some good.

* * *

It was adjusting and that was what it was developed to do, it was in its own genetic make-up. It was designed to adapt to any and all environments, once its feeders found a food source then it would grow and learn about its new growing environment.

This process had taken weeks because of the constant change of food and atmosphere, but now it grew along all these manmade tunnels to grow and flourish. It loved the total ease that these opening allowed and sent out its vines to let the fruit come to crop.

To unleash its hidden talents and release chaos upon its environment like its generations before it.

* * *

The roar of the turboscram engines echoed a little as it flew closer to the mainland, inside four members of International Rescue were flying back from a mudslide in North Korea. All they wanted was a shower, and the promise of a filling meal.

"What do you think is causing John's temperature to spike like that?" Virgil asked after getting off the radio to Brains on the island.

"Not sure to be honest Virgil, he refuse to let Brains to examine him" Jeff replied watching the instrumentation on the panels in front of him as his son piloted the large transport vehicle.

Virgil sighed and brought up the landing procedures as the island's silhouette appeared ahead of them, "I know Dad, I have tried to talk to him myself" He replied.

"I have too but he just shuts us out" Gordon replied from behind them.

Alan remaining quiet at his side, thinking over how much their brother had changed. "It'll be fine once we find Scott" He muttered softly, barely audible over the noise of the engines.

The craft fell silent asides the hum of the engines that changed pitch as the pilot focused on moving onto the landing procedure lines set up by the computer.

"We will find Scott, one day soon..." Virgil replied with a soft sigh, his heart heavy in his chest as he said those words. He had repeated them often in the last few months, and each time those few words were repeated they sounded emptier and emptier to his ears.

* * *

A loud hiss filled the air and made the two young men dive for cover under a loose piece of metal, that had been pushed out by the attacking vine. The metal above them buckled dangerously as the acid continued to drip down out of the cuts and bullet holes in the thick green and purple vine.

"Reminds you of anything" One of the young men asked as he tucked back under, as much as he could without crushing his companion.

"A little of the vines we saw at Newbay but these are wrong... they were green, just pure green" The other replied and itched the back of his neck absently as he thought. "But they should still be weak against fire... only if I didn't drop those fire rounds"

"Yeah, butterfingers Johnny strikes again" The first replied and frowned when his companion didn't stop scratching his neck. "Did it?"

"Get me? No... phantom pains, not a good time to get them" John replied with a shrug and focused on trying to see if he could rescue his grenade launcher and flame rounds from the giant Ivy, taking a glance at his brother, Scott.

"Yeah well it's got us pinned and I'm not sure how to... wait, do you smell that?" Scott asked, sniffing the air and winced. "Well we're sat in a giant... we can use this"

John's eyes went wide, "You're nuts! We'll get roasted alive" He replied, smelling the flammable solvents in the air.

"Well we'll just have to run for it, somewhere out of this giant fireball's path once I light it up" Scott replied, taking a look at his brother and shook his head.

"OK, the door to the right leads to a empty corridor... we've got five lefts and two rights before we reach the main laboratories" John replied as he reloaded his trusted Colt.

"On three..." Scott said with a grin, getting one of the many lighters out of one of his many pockets.

* * *

John jumped awake, feeling a leaf on his bare arm. He quickly shook it off and looked around, curling up tightly as he swore he felt something familiar close by. His hand went to the waistband of his trousers and cursed when he realised he was unarmed.

Night life croaked into existence to his ears as he continued to wake up and slowly relax, as he realised that he fell asleep on one of the many beaches of Tracy Island. He slowly stood up and ignored the tingle sensation running up and down his arms, feeling the slight night chills of the tropical paradise.

Focusing a little more, he heard the familiar sounds of his family in the complex close by talking about various things including the rescue that they had just returned from. They must have left him to sleep, as after a few days of surviving on only a few hours sleep then his exhaustion had gotten the best of him.

He groaned as he sat up, resting his head in his hands as he woke up. '_Why that one dream? Why now... is it because of the jungle' _He thought to himself and looked at where the lone leaf had fallen onto the wood, lit by the lights coming from the main complex.

"John, are you coming in for something to eat?"

Lifting his head up from his hands, he came face to face with a concerned Virgil. "Hey Virg, I'll be in a minute" John replied with a tired smile.

"How are you feeling now?" Virgil asked, sitting down on the end of the sun lounger.

"Still pretty hot, but other than that... fine, no headaches, limb stiffness... nothing" John replied with a sigh, saying normal symptoms that appeared with a low level infection of the bio hazard weapon that was now in his veins but at a dangerously high level.

Virgil sighed, "Well come inside for something to eat, you may not feel the cold at the moment but the rest of us do" He said resting a hand on John's shoulder but soon removed it, feeling that his brother was hot to the touch.

"Burning up really sucks Virg, so I suggest you don't do that again for a while" John muttered before getting up, stretching and hearing his legs, spine and shoulders crack with a tired sigh.

"Have you been that hot all the time?" Virgil asked his brother, watching as he stretched with a few soft groans pass his lips.

"No... I've cooled down now thankfully, we thought that running warm was normal for us but this hot..." John stopped and sighed, scratching his neck before shaking his head. "Come on, I could do with a drink... I want to hear how the rescue went" He added with a smile.

Virgil grinned and got up onto his feet, talking to his eldest blonde brother about the rescue they had returned from.

* * *

The residue in the pipes was so rich, thick with new and different foods for the white roots followed closely by the green stems of the heavy mutated plant.

It was spreading through the pipework, seeking food but lived off all artificial lighting that peeked through the grating above.

The plant froze whenever it felt vibrations or flames touching its roots, slowing it down only a little. It wondered what the strange vibrations and flames were as they rarely happened over the weeks that it took for it to establish itself in this strange, new, enriching environment.

Something was calling it, telling it to grow and follow its biological programming. To grow and to let its pods grow, to unleash the hidden bio-weapon designed into its very existence.

* * *

Papers were pinned up on the walls, littered the desk with maps lain out on another wall with notes and strings all pinned up. This was once the most tidiest room on the island but now it was looking like some sort of old fashioned detective's office, working on a complicated case.

To the young man, this case was very personal to him. He was working on any and all clues coming from across the planet to try and find his lost brother, but he knew he wasn't lost. Not really.

He was trapped, being held by the pharmaceutical company BioTech. He still remembered the misty dream he had months ago of seeing his brother, before all this had happened to them. Before the nightmare that was Newbay, before it was infected with the virus turning its people into the living dead, a biological nightmare that cost thousands of lives, not just in Newbay but small villages and towns across the world.

The infection, once thought to be contained was spreading in different communities. Each time a town was destroyed, a cover up story was created. BioTech had a good public face that was believed by the public because of all the good charity work that the company did, creating communities for families with factories for workers but underneath it all they were in the business of biological warfare.

With help from International Rescue, his own son's accounts of what they had witnessed in Newbay. Jeff Tracy, owner of Tracy Industries was using all the knowledge to fight against BioTech. He wanted to bring them down in what he originally thought was in memory of his two eldest sons but now he had promised himself and the public that he would reveal the truth of the pharmaceutical company in honour of all the families lost in the tragedies across the world.

But while that fight continued, a search took place. A search and rescue of one Scott Tracy, some had given up hope while others fought every tiny step of the way. Especially one John Tracy, after being declared missing or presumed dead, he was given a free reign in being allowed to organise a search of all known BioTech laboratories and warehouses.

It was with this freedom that his father tried to help him but had trapped his son on the island, to keep a better eye out on him and to surround him by his family. Normally back before all this begun, John felt that love but now he could feel that love mixed up with fear and anguish for how much their astronaut brother had changed.

A pattern fell into their lives, one that they set into a regular pattern for them to cope the way things changed in their lives as they did their best to try and live a life on their tropical island. That same tropical island that housed the rescue crafts better known as the Thunderbirds, hidden deep within the island. Some of the residents felt that the pattern was introduced to try and bring stability into their lives but others just shrugged and fell into it, hoping for something to help them continue with their daily lives.

Meal times were always a trying time, having to remind one of their family members to come and join them or at least eat sometime during the day if not to keep himself healthy but to please them. Each time they would look amongst themselves before deciding silently who would fetch him.

Today was Alan's turn, and he could feel the cold sweat appear on his forehead trailing down his cheeks and neck as he left the dining room and headed off to the bedrooms. He had heard Virgil and their father talk quietly about John but he had dismissed it as worry and concern for their missing eldest brother, Scott.

The youngest member of the Tracy clan was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't see that he was at John's closed door and sighed softly, he could feel the hairs rising up on the back of his neck as he rose a fist up to knock on the door for admittance.

John sighed as he leaned out on the balcony, he stared out at the distant ocean but he was not seeing that once calming scene. He was in thought over the emails that he had spent the good part of last night and this morning filtering through, he had wanted to find some clue that would help him in his search for at least one of the bigger laboratories.

All the emails had pointed out to smaller laboratories, half he knew were destroyed a long time ago, '_Something Scott and myself ensured that they were... oh Scott, where are you!_' He thought to himself and felt his phone vibrate at his side.

He retrieved it and looked at the number with a tired smile, "Hey, got something for me?"

* * *

The door slid open allowing the young Tracy in, he was surprised in how much the room had changed since he last been in only a week ago. '_Guess this is what he does with those nights he can't sleep_' He thought to himself taking in how the furniture had mostly been moved around.

The desk had been moved away from the wall and pushed around so it was more close to the en-suite bathroom leaving that wall space blank, well would have been blank if it wasn't filled by a large map with hundreds of bits of string or post-it notes tagged all over it.

The computer was on, with a screen saver of different star constellations. Alan had to smile at this, nothing had changed there but then stars brought him comfort too. Always had.

He looked around for the missing occupant, he found the bathroom empty with the door wide open and the bed looked undisturbed but a small warm gust of air flew past him along with a familiar voice of the room's owner.

"That's great Joe, I think we checked that one already but if you think you can find something out then please, let me know as soon as you can" John's voice spoke from the balcony as Alan stepped closer to the doors.

"Yeah, that's right... I'll be out there on the hunt soon, just hope we can find something soon! Just feel that we are all running out of time" He continued softly, leaning against the rail of the balcony lost in his phone call.

The younger blonde Tracy sibling slowly walked up, but couldn't help but stop and stare at the maps and notes on the wall. Some had disturbing images with notes attached, and strings from those images to show their appearances in different parts of the world.

Frowning, he stepped closer to look at one of the smaller pictures and gave a involuntary shiver in recognizing the drawings. When he saw this creature himself, it was dark but it was never something you forget and that it haunts the dreams of everyone for a very long time.

Its claws, the razor sharp tongue on the picture was nearly wrapped completely around its head, skin pink in some places and a dark blood red in others including the top of its head that revealed its brains. To Alan, the whole body screamed that it was inside out with the hands and feet turned into lethal weapons.

"Looking for something squirt?" John's voice muttered from behind him making him jump and spin around to face his second oldest brother, his shirt bunched up along the arms and neck to try and cover the scars on his pale body.

"John, sorry to bother you but I couldn't help..." Alan started to say and stopped, glancing back at the board.

"Curiosity, it's OK... we all get like that, though sometimes we need a sharp reminder to that it needs to be curbed" John replied, slipping his phone into the pocket of his jeans. "I guess that Onaha has been ringing the triangle" He added with a tired smile rolling down his sleeves to hide his arms from sight.

Alan looked at his brother, seeing how much older he truly looked. He knew that he was the youngest but for some reason he had noticed that his eldest brothers had aged greatly from their experiences, or at least he noticed from watching John.

"I'm guessing you've been sent up to make sure I'll eat" John's voice snapped Alan out of his thoughts, he saw his brother frown and sigh. He dug out his phone and looked at the caller id, "Ah, can you go down? I need to take this"

Alan slowly nodded, "I'll ask Onaha to set a plate aside for you" He replied and quickly left the room, closing the door and sighing deeply.

He listened to John's voice speaking a language very rapidly and sounding energetic.

* * *

Jeff looked up from some paperwork he had brought from the office, hearing footsteps approaching the quiet table.

"No luck Al?" Gordon asked, looking up from his doodling on a scrap of paper amongst the file he had spread out near him while Virgil copied him on the other side of the table. They were both helping their father deal with the heavy backlog of files that were regularly flowing from the different departments of Tracy Industries.

"None, I tried my best but guess that there's something going on out there that needs his attention" Alan sighed and pulled his own pile of papers towards him, this was the amount of homework that he foolishly let build up.

"We'll get through to him eventually son, it may just take a little more time... we are all still suffering shock and the absence of Scott" Jeff spoke softly and slowly, glancing at the empty chair of the table. He felt his sons look between him and the chair before sighing and settling down to work.

"Can't believe how much mail we're getting daily, and this is just a small portion of it... the rest are being delivered to the headquarters in New York from the email I got this morning" Virgil replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I guess because of the amount of work we're putting into getting BioTech shut down, then we are should expect to get a lot of this"

Onaha came into the room, "Why don't you boys move all that work away if you want something to eat" She broke up the conversation, a tray containing a mixture of drinks balanced on her arm with Tin-Tin following behind carrying a large jug of homemade lemonade.

"Looks like your room Alan, with all that school work in there... why can't you accept our help with dealing it?" She asked, clearing a space to set the jug down.

"Because Tin-Tin, I can deal with this... I normally can, it's not like Fermat's... he's taken over most of their chalet with his work but then it is hard to tell the difference between his school work and Brain's inventions" Alan replied, moving his papers away from the middle of the table to allow Onaha and Kyrano to start bringing out the food.

"Think the messiest room at the moment is mine" A voice spoke up and sat down at the table with a tired sigh, glasses perched on his nose.

The family looked up, surprised by this latest addition. John had come down from his room.

"What? I know that got this and that inside of me, but I do occasionally still need these when working on the computer or this PDA... oh, you're probably wondering about the mess" John continued as he waved the small electronic gadget in his hand, not revealing the screen but noticed his family's shock of him joining them for a meal.

Jeff shook his head, "It's your room John, we're just happy that you've decided to join us" He replied with a smile and they settled down to eat as the food was put out.

For a while it felt like it was a normal meal, except one person was still missing and that shadow was not going to disappear soon.

* * *

A long white corridor.

Glowing red beams, dodged around with grace.

Another long white corridor.

Alarms sounded, the white paint turned red by the flashing lights.

The sense of almost escaping, just another corner to go.

A slicing sound, followed shortly by a thud.

Failed, blood pooled out from under the prone body.

Faded into darkness.

The figure gasped as he woke up, his body burning with shock and pain. He tried to figure out what had happened, he felt that he almost escaped but as his senses returned, so did the scientists talking in hushed words. He glared tiredly at them, as one added something to the drip attached to his arm then soon he knew no more, just the darkness as before.


End file.
